Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 520 — page 6: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

what he supposed they really were, and then, to prove himself worthy of the rank of a warrior, a Shige plans for meeting the enemy. ome of the braves were in favor of marching forth and fighting the Apaches upon the prairie, so they could not get near their village; but Buckskin Bill’s suggestion was, as they knew from what quarter to expect them, to place a party of braves to close in after they had passed, and then to ambush their foes at some desirable spot, where they would be caught wholly at a disadvantage, between two fires, and taken also by surprise. In this way many would be killed, others cap- tured, and few would be able to escape, while their horses would fall to the victors. This plan Fire Eyes considered the best, and he at once set to work to organize his bands of braves, telling Buckskin Bill that he must go with him, and if he attempted to escape he would be killed. Buckskin Bill coolly informed him that he had no idea of attempting to escape, and leaving his two comrades in his hands, while, if the prison- ers, Eliis and Carter, were harmed, after the pledge of the Comanche chief to protect them, the Great Spirit would be very angry with him and his people, This served to impress Fire Eyes, who at once warned his braves not to make any mistake and kill the two white captives of the Apaches, Then the braves separated to prepare for the great battle to be fought, and the Comanche vil- aze was a scene of wild excitement, while Buck- skin Bill coolly lay down in Fire Eyes’s tepee and went to sleep. CHAPTER X. AWAITING THE ORDEAL, Wuen Buckskin Bill awoke the sun was up, for he had been so thoroughly exhausted after all that he had passed through, that an Indian The moon was rising when all were in position and the Comanches were all ready for the com- ae their foe, ot a sound was hearé, for the horses had been muzzled, to prevent their neighing, and were back in the timber, ready for the pursuit, when the Apaches should be defeated. The Apaches, so Buckskin Bill had stated, from what he had heard, would bring half a thousand warriors, so they would outnumber the fighting force of Fire Eyes, though the reserve, under Death-Killer, would make them about equal. Still, Death-Killer was over three-score years, and those under him were even older, many of them, or boys ranging from ten to fifteen, so much could not be expected of them as fighters, though they might beat back a foe who did not know what they were, Midnight passed and still no sound came to show that an enemy was approaching. Several miles away an outpost of four braves had been stationed, and from their point of ob- servation a view-over the prairie for quite a distance could be had. When the Apaches appeared, these braves were to at once run with all speed to communi- cate the intelligence to Iron Arm, Fire Eyes and the two flanking parties, Daylight was about two hours away, when the four braves sighted a dark mass moving over the level plain. It grew larger and larger, and was coming di- rectly toward the point where they stood. They were cool scouts, and they remained long enough to comment upon the probable force of the enemy, and then they darted away like the wind to communicate what they had seen. Then every brave nerved himself for the com- ing struggle, and Buckskin Bill muttered: ‘*T guess I'll get even on the Apaches now for capturing our outfit and killing poor Pilot Pete and the other boys.” —— oS Buckskin Bill, the Comanche Shadow. —$———eeeeeeeeealauq$q**0“5“—050eehe_—s=qqNSS SSS ewe gan to close up, from single file to two abreast, sce four, and, at last, ten riding side by side. As there were half a thousand of them, this made a solid body of horsemen fifty deep and. ten in width, all riding slowly along to dash into the Comanche village. In their midst were the two prisoners, and the mules of the train,. loaded down with the plunder taken from the wagons. About these were a guard of several red- skins, who had been wounded by the attacks on the train, and whose duty it would be, in the attack on the village, to keep the pack-animals together, and not allow Dan Ellis and Reuben Carter to escape. Little dreaming of danger, the Apache column passed the canyon, in which were hidden the warriors under Iron Arm. A spy was watching, and hardly had the Apaches gotten three hundred yards away when fron Arm and his braves drew in behind them. Spies were also watching on either flank to ost the two parties there stationed, and the ong drawn-out howl, in perfect imitation of a mountain wolf, warned Fire Eyes that the enemy was at hand, A short while after the moonlight revealed the dark mass of men and ponies coming slowly om toward him. In those days few firearms were to be found among the wild tribes of Indians, and the Comanches were ’most all of them armed with: bows and arrows, and, a custom which they had gotten from the Mexicans, was to also carry & spear, or lance. , When the Apaches had, therefore, advanced close up to the ambushed Comanches, the first: nin. they had of danger was a whirring sound, as of many hundreds of wings in the air, and a score of ponies and warriors went down under that first flight of arrows. war-cry over him would not have aroused him, Old Fire Eyes ordered his ae to give the CHAPTER XI. Loud then rung out the war-cries of the youth a g breakfast, which he ate witha THE BATTLE OF THE RED-MEN. Comanches, and the Apaches, taken wholly by relish, Tur Apaches came on at a brisk walk of their | surprise, were for a moment completely de- The squaws and the youngsters in the village looked upon him with suspicion, for they had not forgotten the ship he had given them when he had escaped, and they oduldl not understand that he had preferred to go back to his pale-face people, to living with them. Buckskin Bill soon discovered that the squaws and children not alone had their eyes upon him, for the warriors also kept him under their ob- servation. The village was a large one, and securely situ- ated against attack, Still, a fos, whose coming was not heralded could get in readily through the canyons, an lay it waste in a very short while. uring the day all thestock belonging to the Comanches was driven to safe places, and the best animals were selected by the braves for their use in the battle that was to be fought. The squaws and children had a frightened look, but the warriors seemed confident of vic- tory, though many liked not the idea of a battle so near home, They would have preferred a lesser victory further off, where, in case of defeat, there was not a chance for the destruction of their village. When night drew near, the separate bands of warriors mounted their horses and rode slowly out of the village, The women and children were strangely quiet for all seemed to realize the sad importance of the occasion. Had the braves been starting forth on a raid, they would have been sent off with shouts of re- _ joicing; but this intended fight was to beat back foes, and all seemed to feel the influence of the hour. tron Arm and a hundred braves had been se- lected to close in on the rear of the Apaches, and Fire Eyes, with\double that number, was ambushed in a narrow valley through which the enemy must pass. Then there were two smaller bands, of twenty warriors each, stationed on cither flank to come down and attack the Apaches, after tie first - stroke had been delivered. in the rear of Fire Eyes, near the entrance to the village, was the old medicine chief, Death- - Killer, with the aged men, and the boys, asa _ reserve. The women and children sat in silence back in . the village, awaiting the dread ordeal. Buckskin Bill had gone with Fite Eyes, an? he - was much elated at the prospect of witnessing an Se . ——E3v30EEOEOEOE ——_ nies. They had so cleverly covered up their idea of attack, that they had no reason to suspect that they could not surprise the Comanche village. Their band of half a hundred warriors had been hunting, to cover up their intention, and also they had gotten a supply of food for the force on the march, These also had come upon the store-train from the settlement, capturing it, killing Pilot Pete and his carousing comrades, and making pris- oners of Dan Ellis and Reuben Carter. The two ye pe had said nothing about Buckskin Bill, and, in fact, until be had hailed them from the tree, had supposed him dead, also killed by the Apaches, | After knowimg to the contrary, they gained hope, for they knew that the youth was not ore to let them die if in his power to pre- vent it. How he meant to save them they could not of course know, but supposed it would be by rid- ing to the nearest fort, or the settlement, for help, and pursuing the Apaches. As the Apaches meant to stay in that vicinity for several days, they hoped that this would be successful, and neither borderman was ready to say die until the time came when all hope was rone. 1 One by ohe the bands of Apaches came to the vicinity where those who were hunting had formed their camp; but they went into hiding until all should have arrived. The Comanches bad several times gotten the better of the Apaches, and now it was the in- tention of old Thunder Face, the great chief, to strike back, and to make it a ueath-blow, The two captives were not treated well by their captors. They were kept tied day and night, and little food was given them, the cruel savages looking upon it as a waste of provender to feed men that must soon die. Upon their return to their village with Dan Ellis and Reuben Carter, together with scores of Comanche prisoners, Thunder Face and his braves meant to have a splendid time putting their captives to death. It was just after dark that the Apaches came ae halt, some ten miles from the Comanche Villages, The ponies were watered and_ staked out for food and rest, and the warriors lay down to get what repose they could for a few "ours, moralized. Then their chief, Thunder Face, commanded a charge, and they rode bard down upon the ambushed Fire Eyes and his braves. But, from the rocks and trees flew such a shower of arrows, with here and there the re- port of a revolver or rifle, that the Apaches: were checked and fell back, But then came the fire upon them, from the flanking parties, who advanced with rapid pace, and this seemed to add greater consternation, which ended in dismay when Iron Arm and his: braves closed in on their rear. Thunder Face was an able commander. He saw that his coming was known, from some mysterious cause, and that he was pre- pared for, Before him he knew that the greater force must be, to protect the village, and the lesser one in the rear. It was a complete repulse, and all he could do was to save the men he had by a retreat, and hope for revenge at another time. Loud then rung his orders, to gather the killed and wounded together and make a dash back the way they had come, This they were preparing to do, when Fire Eyes charged with his force, and Iron Arm closed up with his braves, while the flankers also rushed down into the valley. It was hoped that the whole Apache band could thus be taken. But Thunder Face arose in his majesty just here, and decided that the dead and dyivg must be left, if the living wished to get away. So he culled to his braves to rally about him, and with wild yells they charged down over Tron Arm and his warriors. The red avalanche could not be checked, end Thunder Face and two-thirds of his warriors rushed over Iron Arm and his braves, Men went down, horses fell, arrovs flew, lances were shattered, end yells, war-whoops, death-cries and theneighing of frightened horses filled the air. It was an appalling scene, a moment of hor- ror, and then the Apaches swept away down the mountain passes. Comanches mounted in hot haste and pur- sued, and then the battle-field was left to the dead and dying. A moan bere and there from dian suffering anguish, the ery. mustang, and a wild, startlmg sae Sty 5 OF yell. some brave In- cf a wounded indian battle, After midnight, all were aroused, and, like a | of defiance aS some warrior felt life slipping has ‘ Tt’s dog eat dog, as father says,” he mutter- | great black smoke, they went winding over the | “way from him, ab ed, and he took a position where he would be able | prairies toward the mountains. Such was the scene that the moon shone down +o to see all that happened, As they neared the mountain passes, they be- © upon, after the battle of the red-men. | Meey al bee ay, | os. Aes be My 4 “ah Ua te he 4.7 ; aa eu le v “ s - , oS a , eee y, ts ~~ MS OAR bs Api bs in fi 7 ih A a YS 2s we \ a | = \ . i phe We om ghtratall, adh “ . 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